Avril Lavigne 2007 album review
by Skaetbord
Summary: A review of Avril Lavigne's "The Best Damn Thing", written in 2019


I want to preface this by saying no, this is not a joke; this is one of my favorite albums of all time and I am 100% serious.

I also want to say I have never written a music review before. Okay, here we go.

Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing is, looking back, one of the most influential albums of Avril Lavigne's pop-punk career. It is, also, a huge contrast to her previous two albums, Let Go and Under My Skin. While these two albums set the stage for future pop-punk musicians (don't me), The Best Damn Thing was the turning point of Avril's career. Who was once known as a punk girl who dished out hits like Sk8er Boi and Losing Grip became the girl who was in your face, bratty, and hitting people with breakup songs about hating your ex, hating your ex's girlfriend, having the hots for someone new, and more feelings that got pre-teen me through 90% of their elementary school days (not that I knew what it was like to have a crush on a boy, considering I was gay as fuck despite not knowing it.)

Perhaps the best known song on the album, of course, is Girlfriend. Girlfriend, being the first track in the album, paints Avril Lavigne with a new look — an unapologetic track about knowing you're right and knowing your crush is making the wrong decision. The "plot" of the song (again, I've never written music reviews before, I don't actually know what the right word is) isn't the only thing that sets it apart; Girlfriend is high energy and that's why it probably played at your 5th grade dance (if you were born in the late 90s, that is.) (Actually, I hope it played at everyone's 5th grade dance.) The instrumentals perfectly capture the theme of the song — in your face, forceful, and taking what you deserve.

A song that I wasn't too fond of when I was 10, but now love following a messy breakup where my ex and I were polyamorous and they chose their toxic wife over me, leaving me to be extremely depressed and angry as they moved to Russia and — okay, you get the point, is Everything Back But You. This song is another great track; where Girlfriend was about getting a cute person (it's about a boy crush, but I'm gay and can dream) to get with you, Everything Back But You is about cutting your ex out and being rightfully angry. And yet, while it is an angry song, it is still fun to listen to. I listen to it to hate my ex, hate my ex's wife, and remember "my friends tried to tell me all along / that you weren't the right one for me". Cut your ex out; it's what Avril Lavigne would want. Another track much like this is I Can Do Better, yet another song about moving on, seeing what's new while knowing yes, you can do better. Both tracks make moving on fun.

Also a song that reminded me of my ex who moved across the globe to be with their wife who made them break up with me — sorry, sorry, I'm not over it. Anyways, another song, much different from the two mentioned is When You're Gone. This track shows Avril Lavigne's versatility; she can hit you with angry, bratty tunes and can also make your heart ache for what you're missing. My only complaint is that this song is right before Everything Back But You, so when I'd listen to it on my walkman I would have to quickly hit the back button to avoid being hit with the guitar and drums for that song. And yet, Avril Lavigne can do softer songs that are about love, such as Innocence, a song that replicates the feeling of falling in love again. This album takes you through the heartache of failing to keep someone you love and finding someone new, better.

When I describe this album as bratty, I Don't Have To Try is probably the song that best captures what I mean. Listening to this song makes you feel like "the shit". You're better than your ex, heck, you're better than any person who hurts you — after all, you don't even have to try to be a better person than them. Some people may call this song selfish or narcissistic, but I think it's a healthy dose of confidence (as long as you actually try to study for your 7th grade science exam, and yes, I was still listening to this in 7th grade, and am still listening to it as a 22 year old.) Once again, the instrumentals get you going, in between the lack of instruments in the verses leading up to another rock tune for the chorus.

Obviously I don't have time to review every song in the album, but I did want to give a special shoutout to Alone, a song that doesn't get much attention and that I didn't listen to until I was in my 20s. Avril Lavigne going between high and low vocals keeps you on your feet, wanting to dance to this song — another song about getting over your ex and leaving them in the dust where they belong.

Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing takes you through the stages of elementary to middle school crushes (or relationships you've had as an actual adult, if you're me) while keeping you energized, confident, and willing to take back your life. Not only that, it is truly the essence of 2007, and it set the stage for future pop musicians who focused on tracks about loving and losing love and getting rid of exes who do nothing for you. If you laughed at me for liking Avril Lavigne as a kid (or adult), fuck you, but also please give this album a chance without laughing at it. It's really good, I promise.

Anyways, back to my ex…


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